Interactive Product Placement System and Method Therefor

1. A processor-implemented method, comprising: defining a cue point data structure including cue point metadata that (1) identifies a start point at which an advertising event is to be presented during a presentation of a base media and (2) includes a pointer to data associated with the advertising event; associating the cue point data structure with the base media; and sending a signal representing the cue point data structure to a media player such that presenting the base media causes: a calling cue point to be displayed in a media timeline, an interactive visual representation of the advertising event indicated by the pointer in the cue point metadata to be displayed in association with the calling cue point while the base media is presented, the interactive visual representation configured to, upon user interaction, perform an executable function associated with the advertising event data, and an e-commerce transaction of a product or service related to the advertising event to be processed based on user interaction with an object within the visual representation of the advertising event data.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the cue point metadata includes an indication of a duration such that the signal representing the cue point data structure causes the calling cue point and the visual representation of advertising event data to be displayed for the duration.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a user request to display the base media, the signal representing the cue point data structure is sent based on receiving the user request.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signal representing the cue point data structure is sent to the media player separately from the base media.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cue point data structure is sent to the media player in a first format, the processor-implemented method further comprising: sending the media presentation to the media player in a second format, such that the first format of the cue point data structure is distinct from the second format of the media presentation.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signal representing the cue point data structure is sent to the media player such that presenting the base media causes the calling cue point to be displayed in the media timeline at a location that is based on the start point at which the advertising event is to be presented.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cue point metadata identifying the start point at which the advertising event is to be presented during the presentation of the base media is dissociated from the presentation of the base media.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cue point metadata further includes a motion path action associated with the advertising event data.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the advertising event data is associated with the at least one product or service.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: presenting, to a user, an editor configured to present the base media and one or more advertising elements associated with the advertising event; receiving, from the user and via the editor, motion-input defining motion of at least one of the one or more advertising elements; and storing the motion-input in the cue point data structure.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for associating a base media with one or more cue points that trigger an advertising event, the instructions when executed causing at least one processing device to: define a cue point data structure including cue point metadata that (1) identifies a start point at which advertising material is to be displayed during a presentation of a base media and (2) includes a pointer to the advertising material; store the cue point data structure independently from the base media; and associate the cue point data structure with the base media such that playing the base media causes: an interactive visual representation of the advertising material indicated by the pointer to be displayed in association with the calling cue point while the base media is presented, the interactive visual representation configured to, upon user interaction, perform an executable function associated with the advertising event data, and an e-commerce transaction of a product or service related to the advertising event to be processed based on user interaction with an object within the visual representation of the advertising material.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: display the visual representation of the advertising material indicated by the pointer in the cue point metadata for a duration indicated in the cue point metadata.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: receive a user request to display the base media; and display the base media based on the user request.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: send the cue point data structure to a media player; and send the base media, separate from the cue point data structure, to the media player.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: send the cue point data structure to a media player in a first format; and send the base media to the media player in a second format, such that the first format of the cue point data structure is independent of the second format of the base media.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the cue point data structure further includes at least one motion path action associated with the corresponding advertising event data.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: present an editor to a user, the editor configured to display the base media and one or more advertising elements associated with the advertising event, the editor configured to receive input from the user defining motion of at least one of the one or more advertising elements and store information defining the motion in the cue point data structure.

18. A processor-implemented method, comprising: receiving, from one or more first servers, a base media to a media player, at least one of a product or a service displayed during presentation of the base media by the media player; receiving, from one or more second servers different from the one or more first servers, a cue point data structure associated with the base media to the media player, the cue point data structure including cue point metadata that identifies a start point at which an advertising event is to be presented in the base media and including a pointer to data associated with the advertising event; and associating the cue point data structure with the base media such that playing the base media causes: a calling cue point to be displayed in a media timeline, an interactive visual representation of the advertising event indicated by the pointer in the cue point metadata to be displayed in association with the calling cue point while the base media is presented, the interactive visual representation configured to, upon user interaction, perform an executable function associated with the advertising event data, and an e-commerce transaction of the product or the service to be processed based on user interaction with an object within the visual representation of the advertising event data.

19. The processor-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the at least one processing device to: present an editor to a user, the editor configured to display the base media and one or more advertising elements associated with the advertising event, the editor also configured to receive input from the user defining motion of at least one of the one or more advertising elements and store information defining the motion in the cue point data structure.

20. A processor-implemented method, comprising: receiving a playback request for a video production from a video player, the video production at least one of a product or a service displayed during display of the video production by the video player; identifying a cue point data structure associated with the video production, the cue point data structure including cue point metadata that identifies a start point at which an advertising event is to be presented in the video production and including a pointer to data associated with the advertising event; and executing the identified cue point data structure, the video player configured such that, for each set of cue point metadata: (a) a calling cue point is displayed in a video timeline associated with the video production, (b) the data associated with the advertising event indicated by the pointer in the corresponding set of cue point metadata is retrieved, and (c) the advertising event is displayed for a duration indicated in the cue point metadata at the start point identified in the cue point metadata, the advertising event displayed in association with the calling cue point while the base media is presented, the interactive visual representation configured to, upon user interaction, perform an executable function associated with the advertising event data.